This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.

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Category Archives: Comics

Hey, y’all! Do you wanna read a comic about two Lipan teens who save their home from a sinister southern belle? OF COURSE YOU DO! “Worst Bargain in Town,” my comic about love and hair, has been released in Moonshot Volume 2! If you’re interested in the comic’s inspiration and creation, I was recently interviewed for Sequential Tart.

I decided that my terrible Wacom drawing style is right for a horror comic. SO IT BEGINS! I’m gonna update this whenevs. It’s a short comic, and I’m not too bothered about things like proportions or coloring in the lines 😛 I used Paint.net to do all the arts. Continue reading →

Last night, the Watson to my Holmes, T Hueston, sent me photos of Navajo Raven from Vol. 1 of Teen Titans: Earth One. The next words out of T’s Skype mouth were:

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not saying that the idea is bad, but they probably should have done more research.”

Raven is the startled-looking teen in the background.

Well, this made me curious. Let’s be honest, it’s beyond difficult to find Native American protagonists in comics, film, fiction, and TV. We desperately need more representation (for crying out loud, can somebody recommend wendigo anything with Native American protagonists – I’m still looking). But representation alone isn’t enough. For example, when I see an Apache character who is a mismatch of stereotypes, it’s rather awkward and alienating. I asked T, who is Navajo, to elaborate their opinion about Raven. Here’s what T had to say:

“I like the idea of having a Native American superhero who is not defined by their ethnic group, and I am proud to have a Navajo representation in the DC Universe; however, I see [Raven’s character] as a wasted opportunity to explore unique aspects of Navajo culture, as Raven is not presented as a Navajo but rather a generic Native American.

For instance, she is not wearing Navajo jewelry, but rather jewelry from other tribes. Navajos are not like other tribes and do not have specific mythology that focuses on animals, but rather on the Gods or Yei, and specific spirits or figures.

She studies under her shaman grandfather but Navajos do not have shamans, they have medicine men and women, who both have specific jobs they perform (medicine men do more song and stories, and medicine women do more plant-based healing and are knowledgeable about plants).

Beyond that, she does not look like a Navajo. Specifically, [Navajo people] are known for their squash blossom necklaces, hanging turquoise earrings and velvet dresses, and unromanticized round faces and bun hairstyles.

If DC wanted to depict a Navajo, they should have spent some time doing research to make the cultural identity feel authentic, especially to persons with Navajo heritage. Instead [Raven] feels like an attempt to pass off a Native American stereotype under a tribal name that doesn’t belong.”

I sincerely hope that DC and other creative platforms include more Native American protagonists in their products. However, it’s important to move beyond stereotypes. We are people with unique, varied histories and complex lives.

Thank you for reading. And thank you, T, for your fantastic contribution to this post!

Hi there! This September, I’ve been toiling over the Shining Ascension website. What do you think of its appearance so far? This is my first attempt at web design since a basic html class in elementary school. I’ve been winging it solo, but if complications arise (and let’s be honest – they probably will, once we begin posting pages), I’m not afraid to bother T Hueston’s talented friends and other internets-savvy people. Heheh.

The first comic page will be posted on October 4th, followed by weekly Sunday updates. Just think: Shining Ascension Sundays! It’s catchy 😀 By the way, in case anyone is curious, I’m using wordpress.org + the ComicPress theme for the webpage.

Hi everybody! I have an exciting update about the Shining Ascension comic book project. Nick Robles, our artist extraordinaire, has finished line art for SA Issue #2. He’s working on colors now. Nick provided me with a sneak peek at Issue 2, page #1 (below, without dialogue). Bregga and Faatin are lookin’ snazzy! But why is Faatin floating and glowing like a firefly?! You’ll need to read the comic to find out. >.>

A typical conversation between Bregga and Faatin.

This October, we’ll begin posting the first two issues online. The SA official website is currently under construction – expect a bunch of cool links, faqs, and secrets once it goes live. Hope to see you there!